The Most Famous

RACING DRIVERS from Switzerland

This page contains a list of the greatest Swiss Racing Drivers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,080 Racing Drivers, 27 of which were born in Switzerland. This makes Switzerland the birth place of the 10th most number of Racing Drivers behind Japan, and Argentina.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swiss Racing Drivers of all time. This list of famous Swiss Racing Drivers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Swiss Racing Drivers.

1. Clay Regazzoni (1939 - 2006)

With an HPI of 64.65, Clay Regazzoni is the most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 32 different languages on wikipedia.

Gianclaudio Giuseppe "Clay" Regazzoni (Italian pronunciation: [dʒaŋˈklaudjo dʒuˈzɛppe reɡatˈtsoːni]; 5 September 1939 – 15 December 2006) was a Swiss racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1980. Regazzoni was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1974 with Ferrari, and won five Grands Prix across 11 seasons. Regazzoni competed in Formula One for 11 seasons, winning five Grands Prix. His first win was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his debut season, driving for Ferrari. He remained with the Italian team until 1972. After a single season with BRM, Regazzoni returned to Ferrari for a further three years from 1974 (where he was the runner-up to Emerson Fittipaldi) to 1976. After finally leaving Ferrari at the end of 1976, Regazzoni joined the Ensign and Shadow teams, before moving to Williams in 1979, where he took the British team's first ever Grand Prix victory, the 1979 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Regazzoni was replaced by Carlos Reutemann at Williams for 1980 and moved back to Ensign. Following an accident at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West, he was left paralyzed from the waist down, ending his career in Formula One. Regazzoni did not stop racing, and he competed in the Paris–Dakar rally and Sebring 12 Hours using a hand-controlled car during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996, Regazzoni became a commentator for Italian TV. He was known as a hard-charging racer. Jody Scheckter stated that if "he'd been a cowboy he'd have been the one in the black hat". Regazzoni died in a car accident in Italy on 15 December 2006.

2. Jo Siffert (1936 - 1971)

With an HPI of 57.31, Jo Siffert is the 2nd most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Joseph Siffert (French pronunciation: [ʒo sifɛʁ]; 7 July 1936 – 24 October 1971) was a Swiss racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1962 to 1971. Siffert won two Formula One Grands Prix across 10 seasons. Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and friends, Siffert was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, the son of a dairy owner. He initially made his name in racing on two wheels, winning the Swiss 350 cc motorcycle championship in 1959, before switching to four wheels with a Formula Junior Stanguellini. Siffert graduated to Formula One as a privateer in 1962, with a four-cylinder Lotus-Climax. He later moved to Swiss team Scuderia Filipinetti, and in 1964 joined Rob Walker's private British Rob Walker Racing Team. Early successes included victories in the non-Championship 1964 and 1965 Mediterranean Grands Prix, both times beating Jim Clark by a very narrow margin. He won two races in Formula One for the Rob Walker Racing Team and BRM. He died at the 1971 World Championship Victory Race, having his car roll over after a crash caused by a mechanical failure and being caught under the burning vehicle. Siffert was married twice and to his second wife Simone during the height of his career in the late 1960s and at the time of his death. They had two children together, Véronique and Philippe.

3. Albert Scherrer (1908 - 1986)

With an HPI of 54.95, Albert Scherrer is the 3rd most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Albert Scherrer (28 February 1908 in Riehen – 5 July 1986 in Basel) was a racing driver from Switzerland. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, the 1953 Swiss Grand Prix. He finished 16 laps down and unclassified, scoring no championship points.

4. Luigi Taveri (1929 - 2018)

With an HPI of 52.37, Luigi Taveri is the 4th most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Luigi Taveri (19 September 1929 – 1 March 2018) was a Swiss professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM motorcycle Grand Prix world championships from 1954 to 1966. Taveri is notable for being a three-time 125cc road racing world champion. Although he specialised in the smaller engined machines, Taveri is the only competitor to have scored points in six Grand Prix classes: 50cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and Sidecars. In 2016, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.

5. Marc Surer (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 52.31, Marc Surer is the 5th most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Marc Surer (born 18 September 1951) is a Swiss former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1979 to 1986. Born in Arisdorf, Surer began kart racing aged 20. He moved to Germany in 1974 to compete in Formula Vee, as motor racing was banned in Switzerland following the 1955 Le Mans disaster. After finishing runner-up in the 1976 German Formula Three Championship, Surer progressed to European Formula Two, winning the title in 1979 with the BMW Junior Team. Making his Formula One debut at the Italian Grand Prix that year with Ensign, Surer signed for ATS in 1980. He participated in 88 Formula One Grands Prix, scoring 17 championship points.

6. Silvio Moser (1941 - 1974)

With an HPI of 52.22, Silvio Moser is the 6th most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Silvio Moser (24 April 1941 – 26 May 1974) was a racing driver from Switzerland.

7. Romain Grosjean (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 49.25, Romain Grosjean is the 7th most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmɛ̃ ɡʁoʒɑ̃]; born 17 April 1986) is a French and Swiss racing driver, who recently competed in the IndyCar Series for Juncos Hollinger. Grosjean competed under the French flag in Formula One between 2009 and 2020. Born and raised in Geneva to a Swiss father and French mother, Grosjean is the grandson of Olympic alpine skier Fernand Grosjean and the great-grandson of weapons designer Edgar Brandt. Initially competing under a Swiss license, Grosjean dominated the 2005 French Formula Renault championship at his first attempt and joined the Renault Sport Academy. He was the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series drivers' champion. In 2008, he became the inaugural GP2 Asia Series champion and came fourth in his first year in GP2. In 2009 he made his Formula One debut for Renault at the European Grand Prix and came fourth again in GP2 despite missing the final eight races. After being dropped by Renault, he returned to junior formulae, winning the 2010 Auto GP championship at the first attempt and winning the 2011 GP2 Asia Series and GP2 Series becoming the first – and as of 2021, only – two-time GP2 Asia champion and the only driver to hold both the GP2 Asia series and main GP2 series titles simultaneously. Due to the Asia and Main GP2 series being discontinued, this will likely remain true for the foreseeable future. In 2012, Grosjean returned to Formula One with the Lotus F1 Team, alongside Kimi Räikkönen. He took his first Formula One podium at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix and took his first fastest lap in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. He became the first driver since 1994 to receive a race ban after causing a multi-car pile-up, at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix. In 2013 he remained with Lotus, taking six podiums. He drove for Lotus again alongside Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado in the 2014 and 2015 seasons and achieved a podium finish at the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix before moving to Haas from 2016 to 2020. In what would be his final Formula One race, Grosjean survived a dramatic crash during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix when his car separated in two and caught fire after penetrating a metal guardrail on the first lap. Grosjean sustained minor burns and credited the halo with saving his life. After the 2020 Formula One season, Grosjean moved to the IndyCar Series. He obtained his first pole position and podium in his third race, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

8. Max de Terra (1918 - 1982)

With an HPI of 46.18, Max de Terra is the 8th most famous Swiss Racing Driver. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Max de Terra (6 October 1918 – 29 December 1982) was a Swiss racing driver. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952. He scored no championship points. He was a member of the Ecurie Espadon.

9. Toni Branca (1916 - 1985)

With an HPI of 46.13, Toni Branca is the 9th most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Antonio Branca (15 September 1916, Sion, Switzerland – 10 May 1985, Sierre, Switzerland) was a Formula One racing car driver from Switzerland who competed in three World Championship races. His motor racing career was allegedly financed by an admiring Belgian countess, the Vicomtesse de Walkiers. Branca mainly competed in privately owned Maserati 4CLT, in Formula One and Two races. Branca made his Formula One debut at the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix, finishing 11th, and briefly led the non-championship Formula One race in Circuit des Nations at Geneva in a Simca-Gordini. He scored a number of top-six placings in other minor races, his best finish being fourth at a Formula Two race at the Aix les Bains Circuit du Lac, before entering the Belgian Grand Prix and finishing in 10th place. Branca continued to race in 1951, retiring from the Formula One German Grand Prix and finishing sixth in the non-championship Pescara Grand Prix, but finished competing in Grand Prix racing at the end of the year. Branca competed at a lower level until the mid-1950s, racing in hillclimbs and competed twice in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Racing with a Moretti 750cc, in 1955 the car was not ready and did not get to the starting line in time, and in 1956 the car broke down before his turn to drive.

10. Jo Vonlanthen (b. 1942)

With an HPI of 45.68, Jo Vonlanthen is the 10th most famous Swiss Racing Driver. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Joseph Vonlanthen (born 31 May 1942) is a former racing driver from Switzerland. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, on 17 August 1975, driving a Williams. He retired with engine failure, scoring no championship points. Vonlanthen started in Formula Vee, before progressing to Formula Three, where he won the Swiss Formula 3 Championship. He found things a little tougher in Formula Two, but managed to secure a seat with Frank Williams for the non-championship Swiss Grand Prix in 1975, where he finished 14th. He also made a World Championship start in the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. Vonlanthen can be considered lucky to have started this race, as he was only allowed to start when Wilson Fittipaldi suffered an injury in practice which prevented him from taking his place on the grid. He subsequently returned to Formula 2 before disappearing from the sport's higher levels.

People

Pantheon has 31 people classified as Swiss racing drivers born between 1908 and 1999. Of these 31, 19 (61.29%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swiss racing drivers include Marc Surer, Romain Grosjean, and Jo Vonlanthen. The most famous deceased Swiss racing drivers include Clay Regazzoni, Jo Siffert, and Albert Scherrer. As of April 2024, 4 new Swiss racing drivers have been added to Pantheon including Jean-Claude Rudaz, Marcel Fässler, and Fabio Leimer.